


Beetlejuice Rules

by agrajag



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-18
Updated: 2015-10-18
Packaged: 2018-04-27 00:35:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5026876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agrajag/pseuds/agrajag
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"It's like Beetlejuice rules, in that way."</i>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>  <i>"Beetlejuice rules?"</i></p><p> </p><p>  <i>"'Live people ignore the strange and unusual,'" Noah quoted, staring off into space quite like a young Winona Ryder.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Beetlejuice Rules

**Author's Note:**

> This has been something I've been mulling over for awhile, and after watching Beetlejuice for Halloween, I just knew I had to write something about it.
> 
> I just get worried that Noah was alone before Gansey showed up.

The sun was extraordinarily bright as Blue walked from the bus stop to Monmouth Manufacturing. She grabbed her second hand sunglasses (see: stolen from Orla when she wasn't looking) from the side pocket in her purse and prayed her face wasn't too sweaty that they'd fall right off her nose, as they were wont to do. Other than being blinded, it was a beautiful day to have off due to an in service day for teachers. However, that meant Algionby's classes went on as scheduled, and Blue was left with not much else to do once she had finished up all school work. She had decided to head over to Monmouth in hopes that Noah was feeling himself, and they could hang out until the others got out.

Naturally the door was open when Blue arrived; however she still knocked and waited for Noah's voice (which came from behind her rather than from within, but that was her life now) to say it was alright to come in. She found him standing in the middle of the open floor as if he had just arrived as well and wasn't sure if he was welcome enough to make himself at home. He smiled when he saw Blue and immediately rushed over and brushed his fingertips along her arm in a hello. Even with the unbearable heat of the day getting to her, Blue shivered.

"Hi Noah," she said, returning his smile. "How've you been doing?"

"Doing," Noah unhelpfully replied. Everyone figured it was his way of saying that he was able to manifest physically, which for anyone else would be a "good and how are you" since his idea of good and bad days definitely differed from others.

"I thought maybe, if you were feeling up to it, we can play some pool or something."

"Yeah, that sounds like fun."

Blue had never truly played pool following the rules. She was pretty sure none of the boys had either since it usually looked like Ronan just threw the balls at Noah when he was more see through than usual and Gansey set the balls up over and over again without ever picking up the cue.

They went several turns without either making a single point before Blue blurted out something she had been curious about ever since they discovered Noah's body.

"Did anyone else ever see you before Gansey?"

As soon as the words escaped she wished she could take them back. She knew discussing Noah's previous life and, honestly, anything before Gansey, could send Noah into a tizzy and cause him to disapate. However, he didn't seem off put by the question.

In fact, he was laughing. That small laugh that, if it were anyone else, would sound fake and condescending, but Blue just knew that Noah was simply incapable of being loud when he was happy like this.

"Ocassionally," was all he said at first.

Blue knew better than to push him, and since it seemed Noah was fine talking about it, it was probably best to let him get _something_ off his chest. She set down her pool cue and leaned against the table as Noah collected his thoughts.

"It's like Beetlejuice rules, in that way."

"Beetlejuice rules?"

"'Live people ignore the strange and unusual,'" Noah quoted, staring off into space quite like a young Winona Ryder.

"I didn't know you liked ghost stories."

"I did when I was alive." Noah almost sounded upset, but he quickly collected himself. "So, some people are more..." He waved his hand around a couple times, and Blue could see the edges blur. "...in tune, I suppose, with those sort of things. Mostly kids. They haven't started to disbelieve. They always would smile at me and ask me to play. I love kids."

"That sounds sweet."

"Yeah," Noah said wistfully. "Other than that, there were a few people here and there who would see me. They'd ask why I wasn't in school, mostly. They didn't realize they were special, I guess. I was their first dead person, and I know now I don't look very dead."

"It's because even those of us who know there's... something, you know, going on here..."

"You mean magic?" Noah interjected.

Blue didn't want to say magic, even though Adam had no problem labeling it as such. She simply nodded at Noah and continued.

"We still have trouble seeing things clearly at first. We see what we want to see. I saw you and thought 'That boy needs to wash his face properly.'" Blue gasped. "I'm sorry."

"No, that's alright," Noah said, instinctively reaching up to rub at the permanent smudge on his face.

"But now that I know," Blue said quietly. "I wish I didn't because I can't unsee it."

"You aren't used to being strange and unusal."

She wasn't. Blue had spent her whole life believing she was mostly normal. Sure, she acted as a sort of magnifying glass for her family, but she was never going to be special like them. Not until she saw Gansey on the corpse road did she ever think that perhaps there was more to her than being a physic battery recharger. And considering that she was content being who she was, determined to make a difference and be special her own way, it definitely threw her for a loop. But she wouldn't change it for anything, now. She could see Noah, and that made it all worth it.

"I just wish I came with a manual like in the movie," Noah said, bringing Blue back out of her thoughts. She couldn't help but laugh.

"The Handbook for the Living and the Dead, right?"

"Yeah. We could be one big happy family." Noah walked through the pool table, which still disturbed Blue, though now more so because she would be scared Noah would disappear rather than the intial shock of seeing her friend walk through solid objects. He reached her side and pet her hair. He seemed to become more solid.

Blue leaned into the touch. "That'd be nice."


End file.
